Vibratory hair brush



Sept. 17, 1957 R. M. CARSTAIRS ET AL 2,806,235

VIBRATORY HAIR BRUSH Filed July 9, 1953 J H' R y M- cdrsfa/fj K a/esfeg0/7f7//o mvEwToR;

ATTORNEY United States Patent Oflice VIBRATORY HAIR BRUSH Roy M.Carstairs and Oreste Yannello, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application July 9, 1953,Serial No. 366,962

2 Claims. (Cl. 1522) It is an object of this invention to provide avibratory hair brush having a shell and a bristle-bearing portionde'tachably secured thereto.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a brush as aforesaidin which the vibrating mechanism is secured to the shell.

The above and other objects will be made clear in the following detaileddescription taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section and partly broken away ofthe improved device;

Figure 2 is a top plan view;

Figure 3 is an end elevation partially in section on the line 33 ofFigure 1 and partly broken away; and

Figure 4 is a top plan view of a military type brush utilizing theinvention.

Stimulation of the scalp by means of vibration has long been recognizedas beneficial in promoting circulation of blood in the scalp. Actually,much the same effect can be attained by prolonged brushing with theadded advantage of the removal of dandruff and other foreign matter.

The present invention combines both actions, in that a singularlyeffective vibrator is secured immediately to the back of thebristle-bearing portion of a hair brush. Thus in the normal course ofbrushing 'ones hair, dandruff is both loosed and removed and the scalpis stimulated without resort to protracted brushing.

Referring now to Figure 1 we show a hair brush having a handle portion12 and a bristle-bearing portion 14 to one side of which conventionaltufts of bristles 16 are conventionally secured. The bristle bearingportion 14 is made of any suitable, preferably non-metallic substancesuch as glass or porcelain. The opposite side of the bristle-bearingportion 14 has an upstanding flange 18. If desired, and for heavy dutythis could be made solid across the entire area of the bristle-bearingportion 14. A shell 20, preferably metal, fits the flange 18 and issecured thereto by cap screws 22. Obviously the shell 20 could besecured to the flange 18 by other means, as rivets, dimples or by theformation of a bayonet joint. The engagement of the shell 20 with theflange 18 secures the two units against lateral, mutual displacement andalso predetermines the clearance between the vibrating armature members38 and the upper surface of the backing member 14. The cap screws 22 ortheir equivalent are required to act only in shear and only to resistvertical separation of the shell 20 and the backing member 14.

A conventional appliance cord 24 enters the shell through a conventionalbushing 26 and is connected to the poles of an electromagnet 28 througha conventional switch 30. Screws 32 pass through the shell 20 and engagetapped holes in flanges 34 of the electromagnet 28. A spring 36 has itsfree ends secured between the shell and the flanges 34 by the screws 32.This spring passes between a pair of armature members 38 to which thespring is secured by rivets 40, thus providing in effect 2,806,235Patented Sept. 17, 1957 spring suspension at each end of the armaturemembers 38 When the appliance cord 24 is plugged in and the switch 30turned to operating position the armature 38 with each pulsation of thecurrent will be drawn toward the electromagnet 28. The spring 36 isdesigned to have resonance at the intended frequency of the magnet 28,which normally will be sixty cycles per second. This resonance bringsabout a greater amplitude of movement of the armature 28 and therefore amore intense vibrational effect than ordinarily would be the case.However, the precise frequency in the case of alternating current isimmaterial, and quite readily, by the addition of a make and breakcontact to provide a pulsating current, direct current can be used asthe supply.

It is to be noted that the tufts 16 are divergent outwardly from theunder surface of the bristle-bearing portion 14. The action of thevibrating armature 38 is normal to the plane of the bristle-bearingportion 14. The vibrator effect, therefore, is to spread and diverge thetufts of bristles 16, whereby to intensify dandruif-loosening andscalp-stimulating properties of the device by a lateral action of thebristles.

It is to be noted that the vibrational energy is imparted primarily anddirectly to the bristle-bearing portion 14 and only incidentally to thehandle portion 12, thus making the device much more comfortable for theuser.

Precisely what constitutes a benefit of brushing the hair as distinctfrom brushing the scalp is not exactly known, though the fact that suchbrushing action is beneficial is usually accepted. Demonstratively, thepresent invention (due to the vibrating action) will produce the sameeffect on the hair with fewer brushing strokes than is the case with anonvibrating brush.

In Figure 4 there is illustrated a military type of brush in which theshell 20 constitutes the handle. The appliance cord 24 and a switch 30are provided as in the figures discussed herein above. Brushes of thetype shown in Figure 4 ordinarily will be used in pairs, in which caseit may be convenient to supply in addition to switch 30, another switch31the two switches being interconnected in parallel with one another onwell known principles so that the vibrator may be started by throwingeither switch, to use opposite brushes. This arrangement makes itimmaterial whether either brush be used in the right or left hand.

While various constructional details have been illustrated anddescribed, the invention is not to be limited to such details but onlyas set forth in the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A vibratory brush comprising: a hollow shell having an open side anda top wall opposite said open side; an electromagnet secured to said topwall, said magnet having a plurality of poles, said poles being directeddownwardly from said top wall; resilient means secured to said top wall;an armature suspended from said resilient means in a position below andnormally spaced from the poles of said electromagnet; a backing memberhaving an upper portion sized and shaped to fit the interior of saidopen side of said shell and to form a complete closure therefor, saidbacking member having a lower portion providing a bristle bearing face;bristles mounted in said face; means detachably securing said upperportion Within said open side of said shell and an electrical connectionfor energizing said electromagnet to cause vibration of said armature,said securing means acting in shear to prevent vertical separation ofsaid shell and said backing member.

2. A vibratory brush as set forth in claim 1 in which the lower portionof the backing member projects laterally beyond the upper portion andcoacts with the rim of the 7 A 3 shell to enforce a clearance betweenthe upper portion and the armature in its lowermost position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,818,281 3038' Aug. 11, 1931 1,867,896 Soss July 19, 1932 2,412,093Minnenberg Dec. 3, 1946 4 Robey Aug. 10, 1948 McCready Mar. 22, 1949McCready Feb. 6, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Switzerland Ian. 3, 1938 ItalyAug. 12, 1927 Great Britain Aug. 27, 1952

